Under The Dome continues to turn it around this week. Last week’s episode was a substantial step up, and this week continues the trend as a few annoying plotlines are finally shut down or paid off.

First off, Angie is finally out of that damned basement, and Dean Norris actually gets some good moments when confronted with irrefutable proof his son is a nutjob. Where her plot goes from here is anyone’s guess, but Norris plays the revelation for all it’s worth.

Beyond that, it’s mostly about families saying goodbye as the military plans to huck a big-ass missile at the dome, mostly for what’s got to be giggles at this point. Norrie the drug addict teen gets to meet her dad, and we learn that Hipster Glasses has been epically crappy to her daughter, on top of everything else, lying to her about her father. Yeah, that was an amazing idea that would totally end well, Hipster Glasses.

We also learn more about Barbie as he unloads his inner pain on Julia, for some reason. It’s an odd choice considering how awful she’s been to him, but Mike Vogel isn’t given enough to do on this show sometimes. And the episode ends on a joltingly gory note that picks off Coggins and reminds us that Big Jim might be fairly even-keeled and practical… but he’s still a bad guy.

The main problem is that beyond Big Jim, Barbie, and Phil of all people, a lot of the characters are running in place and not developing. Linda is still overwhelmed and ineffectual, Junior is still annoying and a nutjob, Julia is still annoying and lousy at her job. We’re not seeing who these people are in the dark, not yet, and for this show to become more than solid, it’s going to have to let its characters loose. It looks like we’ll start seeing that in the next episode, and we can’t wait.

The Windows 8 stuff was stunningly annoying. Really, CBS? Really?

Phil turns out to be a pretty good DJ. Who knew?

Dodee keeps getting new powers as the plot demands. By the end of the series she can probably bench-press trucks with her mind.

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I have decided to just basically ignore as much of the stupidity as I can and try to enjoy the show, but it is still pretty hard.

First off, Joe has ignored the fact that his sister is missing for 3 days, and then decides the time is now to look for her right when the bomb comes? And just walking around main street calling her name is not likely going to prove fruitful. He cannot wait 15 more minutes and pick up the chase after the bomb hits? Ugh.

I guess Barbie knew that if the bomb worked, it would not really matter if they underground, but even so, that makes like half the main characters of the show along with Julia, Angie, Junior and Linda who decided to see the bomb hit the town rather than sit underground for like 30 minutes. Plus, Julia continues her run of form by deciding to chase after some kids in town right before the bomb is set to hit. What was her plan?

I will give Junior this, I have never, ever been more creeped out by a character on a show before. Most of it stems from the fact that he is insanely over the top, but still.

Even with all my complaints, I did for the most part enjoy this week’s show. I guess Hipster Glasses is following the Willow Rosenberg track of a early-midlife team switch or something. It was actually unexpected. And Barbie was I guess trying to confess that he killed Julia’s husband, but was iterrupted like 3 times right before he was going to tell her. TV trope I guess. If he does get with Julia without telling her he killed her husband, that does sort of make him a bad guy that the show is trying to show that he is not. Oh well, I guess I will let it play out.

So, pacemaker, hearing aid, what is next, someone jogging with a Windows 8 phone that explodes when they get near the dome? That would be some interesting product placement.

I was under the impression that Joe assumed Angie was outside the dome when it came down, and only started looking for her because she didn’t show up for “Family Day”. A lot of people seemed to have missed that, so maybe I am just filling in the blanks.

If so, then that is some lousy storytelling. First off, she was at the hospital when it happened and she ran into other people in town. Him asking almost anyone such as Barbie would have confirmed that. Also, even if so, she in town, and when it happened, people near the town were there around the dome and knew of it before visitors day. Linda’s beau and so forth.

I myself found it stupid to think that he would choose that moment when the bomb hits to go around looking for her like an imbecile. I guess to setup a memorable first kiss.

You’d be surprised at the number of gay people who tried to make it work as straight. There was one guy in the news recently who literally dumped his entire identity in 1991 and stayed off the grid for two solid decades because he snapped under the pressure.

Norrie is a terrible actress, her “I’m about to cry” face is her “I ate a bad burrito” face. For once I didn’t hate Phil but the fact that nothing he was wearing matched bothered me throughout the episode.

I’m really starting to hate this show. However, it did have one of those “it’d be awesome if they did this” moments where they revealed the destruction outside the dome. Also, the last scene was pretty great.

I was really hoping the bomb would work just to get rid of Junior and Angie. I mean seriously, what else is there to do with either of those characters at this point?

Also, was anyone else hoping Julia Shumway’s brother in law Gordon was going to show up dome-side?

It’s obvious that Gordon didn’t show up because he’s in the ground. This fits with my theory that it’s aliens behind the whole thing:

The dome was put there by Melmackians who survived the destruction of their planet. Unfortunately he was on the inside in his guise as “Peter”, and is now dead at the hands of Barbie. (That’s right, Barbie killed ALF). Redheaded Michelle Trachtenberg is in on the plot.

WHY DO WE STILL HAVE WIND? There should be no breeze & particulates should be condensing on the inside of the dome, per the book, which was a really key part. That & people are really not worried about running out of gas.

I just saw last weeks episode last night and it has yet to get better. I was really hoping that the bomb would destroy them. I hate them all, especially Julia and Evil Andy Samberg. Fuck I hate them so much. Stupid stories and horrible acting. The bit with Linda warning everyone back from the Dome, yet the first thing she does is run up and touch/kiss it. WHAT?!

And nobody asked the Rev, “Do you mean Moab, UT? What does that have to do with this.” Nobody made that connection first? That was the first thing I thought of. I’m actually hoping that Phil kills everyone in town. All the points people made earlier about Joe looking for Angie at the last minute. The Windows 8 stuff is pretty shameless, but hey, gotta pay them bills. They just need to learn how to integrate it without it being so hamfisted about it. This show is NOT getting any better and at this point I really am hate-watching it. Just like I did with The Following. Same level of hate-watching, equally stupid, equally annoying. I can’t tell which is worse. Both had so much potential. The Following had better acting but just god awfully stupid plot contrivances. UtD has bad acting and stupid plots, but coming from the King library, I have hope they can turn it around.

Initially I was upset that Jeff Fahey died in the first episode, but now I’m seeing he was the smart one.